Violet - Book Two

twenty three

The house has suddenly fallen silent. I can only hear the rapid breathing of the people around me - everyone clutching onto each other for dear life as we hide in a cluster.

"Children." Miss Peregrine calls out from downstairs - she startles me, as I had no idea she was even beneath us. "Come downstairs."

Surely it must be safe to do so, seeing as Miss Peregrine's voice is so collected. I am the first to rise from my crouched position, and the others soon follow me. Hesitantly, I lead the way to the first steps. From my new position, I can see the headmistress rocking on her feet in the centre of the hall, where the pile of luggage once sat.

"Miss Peregrine, what's going on?" I ask rather sheepishly as I reach the ground floor, closely followed by the rest.

"Lower your tone, Violet. I need all of your to listen very carefully because I am only saying this once." The headmistress leans forward and balances herself by resting her hands on her knees. "There are several gentlemen here, I'm sure you all heard them. They've found their way to the kitchen. Now, don't be alarmed, but according to what I've overheard they are planting an explosive in there which will demolish the house from the inside."

Several unnerved gasps slip many of our mouths. I feel nauseous.

"There is no need to panic now, my dears. There is a boat on the beach with all of our things inside. The tide might not have quite come in yet, so we'll have to push. You all must follow me now in complete silence, with the youngest of you at the front and the eldest at the back. That's you, Enoch, then Emma."

Without a breath, Miss Peregrine begins to step quickly towards the front door. With a frantic wave of her taloned hand, she calls Claire forward, closely tailed by Bronwyn. Soon, a long line of frightened peculiars are snaking down the garden path in complete silence, like a very strange parade. Emma and Enoch stand behind me, then Jake and Olive in front.

Miraculously, all of us manage to get through the garden gate without the house blowing up in our faces. My heart continues to thump in my chest - it takes a significant amount of effort to stop myself from crying out of fear.

"Miss Peregrine says to run, pass it down." Emma whispers in my ear, sending adrenaline-fuelled shudders down my back. A nod of confirmation to Emma, and I grab Jacob's shoulder for balance, then bring my face close to his ear.

"Tell Olive that Miss Peregrine says to run, and to pass it down."

Jacob nibbles at his lip as I reiterate the direction, before leaning forward to Olive. I exhale heavily - overwhelmed by the serious nature of the scenario. The snake of children continue to walk for a short while until the order reaches Claire, just as we pass the forest, which looks particularly dark as the sun begins to set. Then, the line splits itself into small groups of two or three, and we swarm towards the steps to the beach.

I break into a sprint, and Olive grabs my hand as I pass her. She can run a lot faster than I can, so I find myself being dragged closer to the stairs rather than running for myself.
A familiar bird suddenly swoops over our heads and plunges over the edge of the cliff, leading the way for her charges. Her feathers reflect blue in the sunlight as she lands on the pebbles, just as Olive and I reach the first step. In the centre of the cove is an old but sizeable fishing boat - even from a distance I can see brass buckles of suitcases glinting from inside the cabin. Upon returning my gaze to where the bird once stood, I see that Miss Peregrine has returned to her human stance and is marching towards the beached vessel.

"Quickly, Violet!" Olive tightens her grip on my hand as she starts on the steps - her legs moving at speeds I cannot quite comprehend. There are several instances during our descent where I have to grab hold of the cliff face to steady myself whilst I try to keep up with her.

It is a relief to set foot on the beach - however I have no time to catch my breath. Many of my housemates are already shoving the fishing boat towards the tide, which is not quite close enough to touch the hull. Without another thought, I lunge forward to join the effort.

"Push harder Bronwyn!" Millard shouts from my left, and with a grunt from the small girl the vessel slides across the stones. The movement is so sudden that the rest of us tumble onto the pebbles as a result of our own force. From my new position on the ground, I watch the surf crash against the planks of the hull. It's time to go.

Miss Peregrine approaches the boat and launches her slim frame onto the deck. She suddenly looks very high up from the floor.

"Violet, could you please lift Claire and the Twins up here?" Her tone has returned to a somewhat calm state, and it does put me a little more at ease. She instructs me to get up with her right hand, and I obediently scramble to my feet.

Claire stands close to the boat, ready to be elevated to the deck. With some effort, I scoop her up beneath her arms and force her weight up to meet Miss Peregrine's hands, which pull the little girl out of sight. I repeat that process with each part of the twins: as I lift them I watch Fiona and Hugh climb over the sides of the boat and tumble into the vessel with a thud. However, the two re-emerge and hold out their hands to me - an invitation to enter our escape vehicle. I grab hold of each of Hugh's wrists and launch my body upwards, before he pulls me over with the help of Fiona

Standing up straight on the deck, I can see Olive getting hauled onto the boat, and the three eldest boys standing beside Bronwyn on the stones, ready to push us deeper into the water. Emma crawls onto the planks: the entire vessel shudders beneath the weight of her shoes. The headmistress stands before the group of startled peculiars with her hands clasped at her abdomen.

"Sit down, children." She orders, and her words send us scurrying to the benches which line each side of the boat. I settle myself on the left hand side, closest to the headmistress so I can see Enoch down below. He has removed his shoes and socks, and is ankle-deep in water. "Boys, and Bronwyn, give the boat a push now, would you?"

Those still on the beach place their hands against the rear of the vessel and begin to edge forward. I can see the tension in their arms and jaws as a result of the effort. The water is slowly finding its way to Bronwyn's waist, then her shoulders.

"Are you alright, Bronwyn?" I shout down to her, beyond concerned. The little girl looks up in my direction, brows furrowed, and she shakes her head.

Miss Peregrine notices the remark, and orders Jake to haul the strongest of the force up into the boat. The boat suddenly does not move as much without her force. The headmistress takes her from Jake's grip and sets her down on the closest lap - which is Olive's. Bronwyn shudders, her clothes soaked through.

Just as the significantly weakened force becomes chest-deep in salt water, the vessel begins to bob about on it's own, and Millard's flat-cap emerges from beneath the side, closely followed by some sodden chinos. The boy takes off his hat and slumps onto the bench beside Hugh, who pats him on the back as some form of appreciation.

Jacob and Enoch board the vessel with much more ease than the rest of us thanks to their height. Jake doubles over to catch his breath before the two lethargically exchange handshakes and back slaps.

Enoch slides himself into the slither of empty space beside me, squashing my body up against the side of the vessel. His entire being shivers: I wrap both of my arms around him tightly as the boat begins to move forwards, and I feel an arm around move me. His shirt is soaked, however I continue to cling to him like a frightened child.

As we begin to bob away from the cove, Miss Peregrine calls Hugh to the wheel as she begins to read from a map. The waves spray us with tiny droplets and I can feel my curls becoming increasingly wetter. None of us speak as we drift around the headland.

Amongst the sloshing of the waves, there is a sudden, deafening booming sound, and a dark grey cloud rises from beyond the cliff. Tears drop into my lap. The only place I have ever felt truly loved, genuinely accepted - gone.

Enoch holds my head close to his chest as I find myself sobbing. There are several whimpers and sniffles from around the deck, which signify that my emotions are shared.

"It's just a house." He whispers into my hair. "We're your home. It's only a house."